By Ren Huanyu, People’s Daily
Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on June 14.
He delivered a speech titled Staying Focused and Taking Solid Actions for a Brighter Future of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, pointing a direction for the building of a closer community with a shared future for the SCO.
Attending the SCO summits and delivering speeches over the past 6 years, President Xi has profoundly grasped the trend of time and contributed Chinese wisdom, injecting constant dynamics to the development of the organization and promoting major theoretical and practical innovation of international relations.
At the summit held in China’s eastern port city of Qingdao last year, President Xi made five proposals to build an SCO community with a shared future, made systematical expounding on the values of development, security, cooperation, culture and global governance.
He enriched the concept of cooperation and endowed the Shanghai Spirit with new connotation, making a new blueprint for the SCO development in the new era.
Over the past years, his proposals have been widely responded and implemented, which has continuously consolidated cooperation in various fields.
“People, if united, will be stronger”. The future of the SCO is controlled by the people of each member states.
Regarding the immense changes in the international situation and increasing global challenges, President Xi proposed to draw inspiration from the wisdom of the Shanghai Spirit and seek strength from solidarity, calling each party to work together to make the SCO an example of solidarity and mutual trust, an example of common security, an example of mutually beneficial cooperation, and an example of inclusiveness and mutual learning.
The four “examples” come from the practical and intensive efforts of the SCO in the past 18 years, and also the joint conviction of each party to “think and work in one mind to build the momentum we need to achieve our common goal”.
The Shanghai Spirit embodies the core values and common vision of the SCO. It is because of the Shanghai Spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development, the SCO has withstood the tests of the ever-changing international landscape and become an important and constructive power that promotes regional security and development.
When the world is seeing rising unilateralism and protectionism, as well as the severe impacts on the current global system and international relation norms placed by Cold War mentality and bullying practices, the Shanghai Spirit, going beyond the outdated philosophies of civilization clashes, Cold War mentality and zero sum games, is especially of extensive and positive significance of demonstration.
SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov said that the experience of the SCO can be considered as the first in the history of building an equal partnership of unbalanced, multi-scale states with different economic and political potential, cultural and civilizational features.
President Xi called to strengthen political mutual trust, give each other greater support, expand convergence of interests, to pursue common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and strengthen the SCO’s ability to respond to complex situations, to better synergize the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with the development strategies of countries in the region as well as regional cooperation initiatives such as the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and to uphold openness, inclusiveness and mutual learning, deepen cooperation in relevant fields, and ensure greater involvement of and greater benefit for the people.
Avoiding the distractions of unsubstantial ideas and superficial fame, China will work with each party to ensure greater development of the SCO.
The past 18 years witnessed both hardships and harvests. As a comprehensive regional cooperation organization that covers the largest area and population in the world, the SCO, going through remarkable progress, has become a common homeland for regional countries and embarked on a new starting point.
Facing the profound changes unseen in a century, the organization will unite its 8 member states, 4 observer countries and 6 dialogue partners to live up to its international responsibilities, stay committed to the vision of global governance based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and step up coordination and collaboration.
It will also uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, promote multilateralism and free trade and make the international order more just and equitable.
The organization will definitely inject more certainties and positive energy to the international situation, and make greater contribution to the long-term peace and common prosperity of the world.
